"The rock lobster is a Cantonese banquet staple," says Liong. "The 'dragon prawn' is said to bring strength, fortitude and good luck in the new year. It's a great showpiece. The garlic butter is my version of my favourite sauce at Golden Century."
Southern rock lobster with Cantonese garlic butter and longevity noodles
Longevity noodles - or yi mein - are a staple at Chinese celebrations, from birthdays and weddings to Lunar New Year.
- 40 mins preparation
- 35 mins cooking (plus refreshing)
- Serves 8
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Ingredients
- 1.5 kg green southern rock lobster, humanely dispatched (see note)
- 400 gm e-fu noodles (see note)
- Cornflour, for dusting
- Vegetable oil, for deep frying
- Finely chopped chives and crisp chilli, to serve
Garlic butter sauce
- 400 gm cold unsalted butter, cut into 2cm pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp finely grated ginger
- 100 ml chicken stock
- 75 ml Shaoxing rice wine
- 2 tbsp each oyster and white soy sauce
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 60 gm cornflour, mixed with 60ml cold water (see note)
Method
- 1For lobster, three-quarter fill a large stock pot (to fit lobster) with water and bring to the boil. Add lobster, return to the boil and blanch (5 minutes). Remove from heat and refresh in iced water to cool (15 minutes); drain. Halve lengthways, remove tomalley; reserve. Remove tail meat, cut into 2cm pieces; set aside. Wash shells and drain; reserve.
- 2For noodles, cook noodles in a large saucepan of boiling water until just soft (1-2 minutes); drain and rinse.
- 3For garlic butter sauce, heat a large wok over high heat. Add 225 gm butter and cook until butter foams (1 minute). Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring continuously, until fragrant (30 seconds). Add stock, wine, sauces, and sugar; season and bring mixture to the boil. Stir in kuzu mixture and cook, stirring until thickened (1-2 minutes). Reduce heat to medium and whisk in remaining cold butter; season and keep warm.
- 4Preheat oven to 220˚C. Place empty lobster shells on a large oven tray and bake until warmed through (15 minutes).
- 5Fill a wok one-third full of vegetable oil. Place over high heat and heat to 180˚C. Dust lobster pieces in cornflour and shake off excess. Deep-fry lobster, in batches, if necessary, until just cooked and fine crust forms (2 minutes); drain on paper towel.
- 6Place two-thirds garlic butter sauce in a saucepan over medium heat; add noodles and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally until warmed through (2 minutes).
- 7Transfer noodles to a platter and top with lobster shells. Place lobster meat in remaining sauce; stir to coat then spoon into shells; drizzle with remaining sauce from pan; scatter with chives and serve with chilli.
Notes
Note RSPCA Australia's advice for killing lobster humanely is to render it insensible by chilling it in freezer for half an hour. Kill it quickly by cutting through the centreline of the head, thorax and abdomen with a large sharp knife. E-fu noodles (or yi-fu noodles) are available from Asian grocers.
